Bismillah alhamdulillah..

Taha 20:120 فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَا آدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ

We live in a world where temptation is everywhere. Power, wealth, status, desire — it’s all around us. And then comes the slip… the sin… the injustice.

Everyone’s chasing something they think will last. Something permanent. Something that feels like forever.

But what if I told you this longing — this hunger for more — isn’t new?

It started at the very beginning. With our father, Adam (عليه السلام), in Paradise.

The first test wasn’t a battle. Shaytan didn’t show up with threats or violence.

He came with a whisper... a promise of eternity and a kingdom that would never fade.

Story of Adam and Allah told him.

I'm going to take a moment here to highlight some of the key lessons we can learn from the story of Adam — the father of mankind, Abu al-Bashar, Adam (peace be upon him).

As we all know, Adam AS was placed in Jannah, in Paradise. Allah SWT, in His great Wisdom & Mercy, allowed him and his spouse to enjoy everything — every kind of pleasure and blessing was made permissible for them, except for one thing: the tree.

Allah says in His Book: Surah Al-Baqarah: “And We said, 'O Adam, dwell in Paradise, you and your wife, and eat from it in abundance wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you become of the wrongdoers.’”

Al-Baqarah: 35وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

Allah gave Adam full freedom — eat and enjoy everything in Jannah — condition - but stay away from that one tree.

But as we know from the story, Adam (peace be upon him) approached the tree, ate from it, and as a result, he was removed from Paradise.

Every single person in this Dunya has their own tree

"Every single person in this world has their own 'tree’ - their own temptation.

Just like the tree in Jannah that Shaytan used to tempt Adam (peace be upon him), we all have something in this world that we’re being tested with. Ie. Whatever Allah has made haram/prohibited — whatever He has commanded us to stay away from — that is your tree.

The question is: Are you going to be tempted by that tree?

Shaytan’s temptation on status, money, desire, etc.

Shaytan uses many ways to tempt people.

For some people, it’s women (or opposite gender) or relationships — that’s their tree. They keep falling into haram, not repenting, not turning back to Allah from that bad habit and illegal relationship.

For others, it’s status — so they lie, backbite, slander, and deceive just to reach a certain position.

For some, it’s money and power — so they’ll sell drugs, alcohol, lottery tickets, or gamble. They cause trouble in the land. They’ll do whatever it takes to keep eating from that tree, even if it means destroying their akhirah.

And for others, the test might look completely different. Every trial and temptation we face is personal depending on our level of imaan. Just like Adam (AS), we’re all being tested in this life.

Adam was deceived by the trick of iblis –Eternal life and endless power

In the story of Adam (AS), iblis didn’t just offer Adam any fruit—rather he claimed it would grant eternal life and an everlasting kingdom. The ayah in surah Taha. 

20:120 فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَا آدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ

Then Satan/The Devil whispered to him; he said, "O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate (or will not go away)?"

·         Devils/Shaytan whispers, not commands.  

·         He appeals to desire: immortality and power.

·         He called the tree “Shajarat al-Khuld” (Tree of Eternity), though Allah never gave it that name — a marketing trick by Iblis to make it sound appealing.

And " وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَى" refers to a type of Mulk/dominion or rule that never ends — which is what humans naturally crave.

So, what did he offer? Eternal life and endless power.

Ibn Kathir RA says Iblis knew Adam's noble status/noble prophet and tempted him with something fitting an eternal kingdom in Paradise.

Perhaps Adam AS might have thought that this would give him worship of Allah forever. Allah-u-A’alam.

Don’t fall for the fake kingdom!  

The true “kingdom that never decays” is not in Dunya – or this world, but in Jannah – in the hereafter.

(Qur’an 9:72) Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.

 وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

Some of the takeaway from this story:

Sometimes, things might come our way with good intentions or sound appealing on the surface, but from a different angle, they could actually lead to harm. The only way to truly understand and navigate these situations is through sound knowledge and sincere intention—that is, having a solid understanding of the Deen and acting with Ikhlāṣ (pure intention for Allah).

When we know what a deed(act of worship) is, its purpose, and its reward, then doing it with awareness is far better than doing things blindly.

قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ Allah ﷻ telling us in Surah Zumar: Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.

And Allah accepted their repentance.

It is important to mention here that— Adam (AS) turned to Allah. He repented sincerely, and Allah accepted his repentance. The Dua.. رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ (we received this since this incident) This shows us the Mercy of Allah, and the importance of always returning to Him, no matter what our mistakes.

All the children of Adam commit mistakes

Mistakes are part of human nature. Even the most righteous are not free from error.

As famous statement of our prophet ﷺ  كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ، وَخَيْرُ الْخَطَّائِينَ التَّوَّابُونَ

All the children of Adam make mistakes, and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent.

This world is suffering and testing with the temptations

Like Allah warned Adam AS: Taha 20:117 فَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ إِنَّ هَٰذَا عَدُوٌّ لَّكَ وَلِزَوْجِكَ فَلَا يُخْرِجَنَّكُمَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَتَشْقَىٰ

So We said, "O Adam, indeed this is an enemy to you and to your wife. Then let him not remove you from Paradise so you would suffer. You are going to suffer…as this world is the world of suffering…it’s not perfect.

You will see killing, massacre, injustice – because the actual justice will be only established only in the hereafter.

To conclude, Dear brothers and sisters,

The whisper of Shaytan is still echoing today — dressed in different forms, but carrying the same message:

But the truth is clear. This world, with all its glitter, is temporary.

The only kingdom that never fades… is with Allah. As Allah warns us:

O mankind, indeed the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.

Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze/fire.

35:5 يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ

35:6 إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

We ask Allah for the correct understanding.. May Allah SWT grant us the Taufeeq – ameen ya Rab.

اللهم لا تجعل الدنيا أكبر همنا
O Allah, do not make this world our greatest concern.

O Allah, make us among the people of Paradise — without reckoning and without punishment.

O Allah, protect us from the whispers of Shaytan.

O Allah, grant us the wisdom to see truth as truth and follow it.

O Allah, make us among those who inherit the true kingdom of Paradise.

O Allah, forgive us as You forgave our father Adam.